Forming guide for engraving machines



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2 Sheets-Sheet l A L WOODY FORMING GUIDE FOR ENGRAVING MACHINES Jan. 9, 1951 Filed Jan. 6, 1947 Jan. 9, 1951 A. WOODY FORMING GUIDE FOR ENGRAVING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6-, 1947 INVENTOR. 16627? M60639 Patented Jan. 9, 1951 FORMING GUIDE FOR ENGRAVIN G -MACHINES Albert L. Woody, Homewood, Ill. Application January 6, 1947, Serial No. 720,373

7 Claims. (Cl. 90-62) This invention relates in general to engraving and similar machines and is more particularly described as a forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines having means for guiding a cutter to all points on various cylindrical and spherical surfaces both convex and concave and differing in curvature, radius and area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a forming guide capable of accurate adjustment to true radii, and to smaller radii than those practically obtainable in guides of the flexed plate type.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a forming guide with a guiding member having comparatively great strength and rigidity as contrasted with other adjustable guides and capable of continuous and comparatively quick and easy setting and adjustment to various radii.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the specification and will be a parent from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an engraving machine to which an embodiment of the present invention is-applied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a forming guide for cylindrical concave surfaces;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a holding arm for the forming guide;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the holding arm shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side view partly in section of a spherical and cylindrical forming guide for convex surfaces;

Fig. 6 is an end view of the forming guide shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view of the inner side of one of the forming guide arms;

Fig. 8 is a view of the outer side of the forming arm of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail showing the connection of a guide bar with one end of a guide arm aS shown in Fig. 2; and

Figs. l0, l1 and 12 are side, bottom and top views respectively of a guide for connecting two pivoted guide arms.

In setting up a forming guide for an engraving machine, it is sometimes difficult to adjust it accurately for small radii, both convex'and concave, and the curved plate type of forming guide does not conform readily nor accurately to curvatures of small radii.

The present invention provides means for setting up a curved guide either convex *or concave for a cylindrical or a spherical surface for varying the curvatures of this guide and for center ing or adjusting the guide relative to the holder. By graduating the possible connections between the holder parts, it is comparatively easy to change the radius of curvature for any curved surface within the range of this instrument. This makes it comparatively easy to set the guide for various curvatures and to duplicate any regular curved surface, thus avoiding the necessity of preparing a separate guide for each variation of curvature.

Referring now more particu arly to the drawings, an engraving machine of the general type to which this invention relates is shown in Fig. 1, having a tool holder i5 rotatably mounted in a tool support I 6 actuated by the usual pantograp'h linkage i? with afollower i8 movable with respect to a pattern holding table it. The tool hoder is rotated by a driving belt 2s and has an engraving tool 2i at the lower end operable upon an article mounted upon a work table 22 below the tool. At the upper end of the holder is a follower spindle 23 which engages the guide means forming the particular subject matter of this invention.

Adiustably or otherwise supported from the machine frame is a fixed supporting arm 24 located closely below the upper pivoted end of the tool support I6 and the end of the arm being substantially centered with the axis of the follower spindle 23 and the engraving tool 2!.

The outer end of the supporting arm 2% is preferably formed with a perforation 25 which may be centered with respect to the guide for receiving and mounting forming guide mechanism and having a split 26 extending fromthis opening and the split portion tightened by means of a fastening bolt 2'! for thereby gripping a circular member in the opening 25. Extending around the opening preferably in a circle are a number of openings 28 for receiving screws 29 therein so that a forming guide may be attached below the arm 25 by means or the screws 29 at various angles about the opening 25 and its center. These screws may be inserted in the side of the frame when not in use. (See Fig. 5.) H v As shown in Fig. 2, a forming guide frame 36 is secured to the fixed arm 25 at any suitable angle with respect to the work table 22, this frame having upwardly extending arms 3!, the outer sides of which are provided with spaced pivot holes 32, 33 and 34,

An engraving spindle cross bar 35 is mounted below the frame 38 by pivoted arms 36, one at each end thereof. Extending through each arm 36 are a number of threaded holes 3'! each adapted to receive a pivot screw 38 therein, the pivot screw having a reduced portion fitting into one of the pivot openings of the forming guide frame 30 so that guide bar 35 will swing about the two pivot screws 38, one at each end of the guide frame 30. The movement of the guide bar 35 is thus for producing a concave guiding surface since the follower spindle 23 engages the outer, or downward side as shown, of the guide bar. For any adjustment of the radius of the guide bar 35 less than the distance between the pivot holes, the end of the arm 36 is provided with a dovetailed or under-cut groove 39 as shown in Fig. 9 which is engaged by a correspondingly spread extremity of the guide bar 35 having a split 40 therein, adapted to be spread from either side by a reversible taper nut M adapted to be inserted in a suitable opening at the sides of the split ti) and operative to spread the split extremity of the guide bar and holding it tightly in any adjusted place along the dovetailed groove 39.

At one side of the guide bar, it is formed with a single recess 42 for receiving the end of the spindle 23 and holding it in a fixed position. The other side of the guide bar as shown more clearly in Fig. 12 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 43 for receiving the follower spindle 23 and allowing it to move longitudinally of the guide bar.

To provide a convex spherical and cylindrical forming guide, the axes of the frame for holding the guide bar must be reversed, that is, the pivots are below the follower spindle 23 as shown in Fig. 5. In this arrangement for cylindrical movement, an outer frame 44 may be attached to the end of the fixed arm 24 by the fastening screws 29 and has outer projecting ends 55 with a plurality of pivot screw openings 36 therein at the outer side of each end. For spherical movement, the frame 64 is rotatable freely and continuously upon a stem inserted into a ball-bearing 52. Arms i! are attached to the ends of the guide bar 35 by a dovetailed slot 48, as previously described, and in the outer sides of the arms are pivot openings 49 adapted to receive pivot screws 38 in any one of the openings 45 and in any one of the pivot openings 49 so that a variation of the radius of swinging movement of the guide At one side of the dovetailed slot of each arm 47 and 36, it may be provided with graduations 5G for adjusting the guide bar at different distances therein less than the distance between the pivoting openings so that an accurate and fine variation of the radius of swinging movement of the guide arm may be obtained.

With this construction, the guide bar may be mounted with respect to the spindle for convex or concave movement and the guide bar may be varied for a single point or a longitudinal slot engagement of the spindle therewith.

By thus mounting the forming guide frame in a fixed position or upon a circular stem 51 inserted in a ball bearing 52 held in the central opening '25 of the fixed arm 24, and using the single guide hole 42 at one side of the guide bar or the longitudinal slot as at the other side, these forming guides may be used for controlling the spindle movement either for a convex or a concave cylindrical or spherical surface depending upon which of the guide frame arrangements is used.

While forming guides for convex and concave surfaces have thus been described some detail,

bar may be obtained.

these constructions should be regarded by way of illustration and not as a limitation of the invention as various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support, a frame with end projections attached to the support, a pair of arms having pivots and holes therefor at the inner side of each end projection, a cross bar joining the arms with a connection to accurately vary the radius of rotation of the arm upon its pivots including an end slot in each arm, a split extremity at each end of the cross bar, and means insertable in the split of the end to exp-and it to grip the slot.

2. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support, a frame with end projections attached to the support, a pair of arms each having a pivot at the inner side of each end projection, and a cross bar connecting the arms to swing on the pivots, the arms and frame projections having a plurality of spaced apart pivot holes for variably positioning the arms to swing transversely on convex and concave arcs with different radii depending upon the pivot locations, and the cross bar having a connection with the ends of the arms to vary its radius of swinging movement less than the distance between adjacent pivot holes.

3. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support, a frame with end projections attached to the support, a pair of arms having a pivot and holes therefor at the inner side of each end projection, and a cross bar connecting the arms to swing on the pivots and being invertible in the arms for convex and concave swinging with a longitudinal cutter spindle groove at one side and a single spindle hole at the other side to engage the cutter spindle.

4. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support having a plurality of attachment openings, a frame having fastening means to selectively engage opposite openings for varying its horizontal angular position and projections at the ends of the frame, connected arms and a crcss-bar with cutter spindle engaging portions insertable in the frame, and means forming variable pivoting connections between the arms and the frame projections.

5. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support, a frame with end projections attached to the support, a pair of arms and a cross piece adjustably con nected to the arms, the arms and end projections having registering pivot openings spaced apart in each member, and a pair of pivot screws insertable in any pair of openings to vary the radius of swing of the cross bar and to make the arc of movement convex and concave depending upon the location of the pivots.

6. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support having a circular bearing opening parallel to the axis of the spindle, a frame having end projections from one side and a central bearing stem rotatable in the opening, a cross bar having cutter spindle engaging portions, arms connected at the ends of the cross bar, means mounting the arms to swing in said frame projections on convex and concave arcs of various radii depending upon the location of the axes.

7. A forming guide for floating cutter spindle machines comprising a fixed support having a circular bearing opening parallel to the axis of the spindle, and attachment openings in a circle surrounding the bearing opening, a frame with end projections from one side and a central bearing at the longitudinal center of the other side and with attachment openings at opposite sides of the central bearing, means to attach the central bearing in the bearing opening for turning movement, fastening means insertable through the attachment openings for varying the fixed horizontal axis of the frame, a cross bar 5 having a longitudinal groove in one side and point seating opening in the opposite side for the spindle, arms connected at the ends to the ALBERT L; WOODY.

REFERENCES CITED m The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Woody Oct. 3, 1944 

